Shreyas Iyer could not take the field for the second consecutive day during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, reportedly owing to a recurring back injury. According to a report in Times of India, the Indian batter, who will be leading the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the 2024 season of Indian Premier League (IPL), might miss the first few matches.
Iyer has been nursing a back issue since last year, which ruled him out of IPL 2023. Though he did undergo a successful surgery in April 2023, and featured in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for India, the injury resurfaced during the recently concluded five-match Test series against England.
Having played the first couple of matches, in which his returns were modest, Iyer complained of a back issue, although the medical team of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) declared him to be fit.
He was subsequently left out of the Indian team for the three remaining fixtures. During this period, Iyer did not feature in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy fixtures against Assam and Baroda, but he instead joined Kolkata Knight Riders’ pre-season camp in Mumbai.
The 29-year-old was eventually left out from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) list of players who were given central contracts.
Following a month-long break from competitive cricket, Iyer returned to the fore during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu. He could only score three runs in that fixture, but in the ongoing final against Vidarbha, Iyer struck a stunning 111-ball 95 in the second innings.
In the process, however, he sustained back issues yet again, with the Mumbai physio being called into action. Iyer could not take the field on the last two days – 13 & 14 March – with a recurring problem.
Reportedly, he also had to visit a hospital for scans.
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